Survival: Lost and Found
by bemj11
Summary: Fourth in my Survival Series. From the POV of the human who finds Jasper. Can she help reunite him with his family? Can he resist the smell of her blood? Chapter 7 is Jasper's POV, 8 is Carlisle's, 9 is Jasper's again, and 10 is back to the human's POV
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This story is told through the eyes of a human, with very little focus on the other Cullens, as I was trying to focus more on Jasper. They do make an appearance, eventually, or some of them do. This is the fourth installment of the survival series, so hopefully you've already read those. I'm hoping this one will be a bit longer, and a bit more heartwrenching. We'll see. And now, without further ado...

Chapter One:

First day on a new job. I was nervous, though Trish, the next-door neighbor's daughter, had assured me everything would be fine as I walked out the front door of my house and left her in charge of my four year old daughter for the day.

Trish, who had just recently graduated high school, had been baby-sitting the neighborhood kids for about five years now, and everyone I had spoken to had thought very highly of her. In fact, she had been suggested several times, as people welcomed us into their neighborhood, that if I needed a sitter, she was the one to go to. So I had called, and she had agreed to watch my child while I worked. She was trying to earn money for college in the fall, and was almost as grateful for the steady job as I was to have a constant sitter.

I hated leaving Sam alone, though. She was small for her age, quiet, and didn't take to people well. She didn't like to be anywhere near most people, unless in the safety of my arms. She seemed okay with Trish, thankfully, and would be fine as long as Trish didn't touch her, which was more than I could say of the last two baby-sitters I had tried. Sam was well-behaved, however, so the no touching rule was rarely an issue.

And after the sitter who had simple picked Sam up and tried to carry her to the table for supper instead of telling her the meal was ready, I always let the baby-sitters know ahead of time anyway.

Sam was coloring as I left. Trish smiled brightly and made sure she had my work number, just in case. She informed me they would probably have lunch around eleven-thirty and asked if I thought Sam might enjoy going to the park two blocks down. I didn't see that it would be a problem. I reminded her I would probably be home around four, then said goodbye.

I arrived at the lot of the hospital where I would be working and found a place to park. It was a bright and sunny day, I noticed. Sam and Trish would have a good time at the park. I took the weather as a good omen as I went inside to meet with my employer.

Doctor Scott greeted me with a smile as false as the warmth he was trying to project as he greeted me. "Welcome, Miss Thomas." He said with exaggerated cheer as he shook my hand. His palms were sweaty. I forced my grimace into a small smile as he continued. "We are delighted to have you here."

"I'm glad to be here." I returned, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt.

He rubbed his hands together briskly and nodded. "Well, let's show you around, shall we?"

The tour wasn't much, the institution was not as large as my first job had been. This place consisted of two stories, with a little over a hundred patients. We checked in on a few as we went, and he told me about others as we walked.

As we reached the end of the tour, I brought up something that had been of concern to me. "I understand that the person I am to be replacing left because of an injury received while working here." I said uncomfortably. I didn't want to sound ungrateful for the job, but I had a child at home. I needed to be sure the institution had not been at fault.

Doctor Scott frowned. "Miss Stone disregarded proper safety protocol in regards to a patient." He said almost angrily.

"I thought-" He quickly cut me off.

"Most of our patients, with the exception of one, are relatively harmless." He informed me. "Miss Stone disregarded those rules set in place for _her_ safety, and suffered the consequences." He seemed rather callous about the whole affair, and about an injury that had cost the young woman her life.

"But how-"

He interrupted once more. "Let me show you something, Miss Thomas." He led me down the last halway, back and away from the other patients. A chill swept down my spine.

The silence was pierced by an almost inhuman scream, as if someone, or something, were in great anguish. I turned to stare at Doctor Scott, who was watching me intently, a cruel smile playing about his lips.

"What-" My question was cut off by a stream of profanities and threats from inside one of the rooms. The voice was harsh and frenzied, but I thought I had heard an undercurrent of dispair in the scream.

To my alarm, Doctor Scott pulled out a key and began to unlock the door. "What are you doing?" I demanded.

He spared me a smile, one that I was convinced was pure evil. I decided I did not like this man at all. "He is restrained." Was his only response as he opened the door and led me inside.

There was a wall of iron bars splitting the room in half. It was remniscent of a prison cell, and I shuddered involuntarily. The prisoner, or _patient, _was up against the bars, trying to get out. He had been placed into a restraining jacket at some point in the past. He was pale, with dark circles under eyes that were as black as the darkness, and his blond hair was a mess.

He snarled and cursed and raged, and his struggle increased as we entered the room. I worried that he might harm himself. Doctor Scott seemed unconcerned by the patient's actions, or rather, he seemed amused by them. With an odd light in his eyes, he stepped closer to the patient's side of the room.

It nearly drove the patient into a frenzy as he tried to get to the Doctor.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked, horrified. Never, in the years or the hospitals in which I had worked, had I ever seen anything like this.

Doctor Scott chuckled. "Did you find out what the injury actually was?" He asked, his tone overly casual. When I shook my head, he continued. "He convinced her that he could behave without the straight jacket. She took it off, and he spun around and attacked her. Sank his teeth into her throat, scratched her as she fought to get loose. Took five of us to get him off her, for all the good it did her."

I stared at him in shock. Didn't this bother him? How could he be so cold about it? I turned to look at the patient as he threw himself against the bars yet again, his mouth curled into a snarl. How could that woman have thought-

"Some days he's almost lucid." Doctor Scott commented, as though reading my mind. "Charming even, when he isn't after your blood." He chuckled as if at some private joke. "So be on guard; follow the rules."

I realized then that this would be one of the patients I was in charge of. A shudder ran down my spine, and I swallowed nervously.

Disclaimer: As usual, Twilight does not belong to me.


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of my day was spent learning about the other patients I would be in charge of while I worked here. I familiarized myself with their locations, cases, and care. I met with those I would be interacting with, introduced myself, chatted, and so on. It made for a long and tedious day.

I was glad when I could finally go home to my Sam. I got in the car and started the ignition, letting out a sigh of relief as I left the parking lot.

The memory of a pair of dark eyes came back to me, unbidden. I shook my head, banishing the memory. I tried not to think of that particular patient as I headed home.

I decided I liked Trish; she had dinner prepared when I got in. She gave a brief report on the day, mentioned that Sam was napping on the couch, and excused herself. "I'll see you tomorrow at seven." She said, and was out the door.

I went into the living room where Sam was now awake and waiting for me. I lifted her into my arms and held her close. "How was your day?" I asked, kissing her on the cheek. I didn't wait for an anser; there would be none. My daughter didn't speak. "Mine was long, and tiring." I told her, taking her into the kitchen so we could eat. "I think my boss is evil." I confided, Sam regarde me with wide eyes.

"There's this patient." I explained. "My boss seemed to enjoy seeing him upset." We ate in silence for a few minutes. "Did you get along with Trish?" I asked.

Sam simply ate her food. The doctors had said there was something wrong with her. They said she should be able to speak, that she should at least be responding in some fashion.

She was aware. I knew that. I didn't know why she wouldn't speak. I didn't know why she didn't react to strangers except to throw a fit if they got too close.

I knew when she was happy, though, and I knew that she usually was. I knew that she felt loved and safe with me. I knew that she didn't like hospitals or doctors.

She liked being read to, and usually carried around whatever book I was in the middle of reading to her. If she liked someone, which had happened only four times that I could recall, she would usually offer them the book in an attempt to get them to read to her.

After dinner we read for a bit, then Sam insisted on showing me the things she had found in the backyard today. We looked at a tree, and some flowers, and an anthill.

Sam played with her blocks while I cleaned up from dinner. It didn't take long; apparently Trish had washed the dishes from our breakfast and their lunch. I decided Trish was the best baby-sitter I had ever found.

Sam began putting the blocks away as I went into my room for my violin. I took it into the living room, and she sat on the couch and watched me as I tightened the bow and applied the rosin to the hair. She smiled as I made sure the violin was in tune, and beamed, humming along as I played. It was the only time she ever made a sound.

Eventually it was time for her to be getting to bed, so I put the instrument away. Later, bathed, hair brushed, dressed in pajamas, she knelt to 'say' her prayers before I tucked her in to bed.

I kissed her goodnight and wondered how something so wonderful could come out of something so terrible. She was a delightful child, and I couldn't imagine life without her.

As I went to bed that night I again had to push those dark eyes, filled with rage and despair, out of my mind.

I woke up, suddenly, tangled in my sheets, panting for breath, my face sweaty. The light flickered on, and my daughter was watching me from the doorway.

I swallowed and tried to calm down as she climbed into bed with me, brushing my hair out of my face and patting my hand, as if she were the parent and I were the child.

She nestled down beside me as I straightened out the blankets. I wrapped an arm around her, and she smiled, snuggling down to go back to sleep. She had decided mommy would be fine now.

I stared at the ceiling, recalling what had awakened me. I remembered falling into an uneasy sleep where he -the patient- had come after me, eyes wide, lips drawn back into a snarl. There had been no one and nothing to stop him. The he had started screaming, swearing and cursing at me, and had sank his teeth into my throat.

I sighed. I couldn't let thinks get to me like this. I usually didn't. Why was this patient so different?

I must have eventually fallen asleep; for suddenly the alarm clock was going off, and it was 6:00 am.

Disclaimer: Twilight does not belong to me.


	3. Chapter 3

I braced myself and prepared to go through the door that would take me into the room with _him. _He had been screaming and swearing at me for about a week now, and just when I thought he could no longer say anything that would surprise me, he pulled something new from his repertoire of profanity. It was starting to get old. I stifled a groan and went inside, ready to get back out as quickly as possible.

It was silent, I suddenly realized as I entered the room. _He_ was seated calmly on the bed in his cell, eyes closed, a blank expression on his face. I wondered at this dramatic change in him.

He opened his eyes and studied me curiously, as if he had never seen me before. His lips parted, and I nearly jumped out of my skin when he spoke. "Mornin'," His voice was calm, steady, and casual.

"Good morning," I said in return, not knowing what else to do. "And how are we this morning?" I asked, the professionalism in me taking over briefly, while the rational part of me wondered why I was having polite conversation with someone who had not long ago ripped out someone's throat and had yesterday been trying to get to me to do the same.

He was silent for a moment, as if considering his answer. "Thirsty." He said at last. "But you aren't allowed to give me anything."

I grimaced. He was right. "Sorry." I apologized. He shrugged.

I watched him, curious. He seemed perfectly sane today. He watched me in return, seemingly unperturbed by the attention. "I don't believe I caught your name." He said at last.

"It's Thomas." I said, and was rewarded with a puzzled frown.

"Isn't Thomas a boy's name?" He asked, then grimaced. "I beg your pardon, I didn't mean to be rude."

I nearly smiled. "Thomas is my last name. It's Kristin Thomas."

"You prefer Thomas." He commented.

"Yes." I replied uncertainly. So what?

"More formal?" He guessed.

I nodded, then decided to press my luck. I hadn't been given _his_ name; there had been no record of it anywhere, and no one seemed to know. "So now you know my name, but I still don't know yours." I commented.

He gave me a funny look, and I wondered if I had said something that might set him off. "You know," he said softly, "you're the first person who's asked since I came here."

"How long have you been here?" I asked. If he had had days when he was like this, there was no reason _someone_ shouldn't have cared enough to ask.

He frowned at my question. "What year is it?"

I told him, and he sighed. It was a heartbreaking sound. "Five years." He said. Five years? He looked so young. He coudn't have been much older than twenty.

He was immensely pale, too, I noted. There were dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept properly in months. It was entirely possible he hadn't.

"I'm Jasper." He said at last.

"Jasper?" I repeated. Did he have a last name?

"Whitlock." He said. We were silent again, watching each other. "You're different." He commented after a minute.

"What?" I asked, confused.

He shrugged. "You react differently. Usually they either ignore me or torment me."

"Who?" I asked. Surely he didn't mean-

"Your coworkers. Your boss." He said, confirming my suspicions. Well, I had seen it myself that first day, hadn't I? He closed his eyes again, as if too tired to bother keeping them open.

He looked so tired, I realized, and weak. It was hard to accept that this was the same person that had been screaming and carrying on like some wild beast this past week. He seemed so gentle and reserved today, as if such behavior would be beneath him.

I decided to go out on a limb. "Is that why you've been so unfriendly?" I asked, referring to how my coworkers had been treating him. That, of course, was serious understatement.

He sighed. "I have trouble with control." He said slowly, eyes still closed. "Some days it's hard than others. Sometimes all I want to do is die. Other times I'd like to kill everyone else. If it isn't one, it's the other. Unless, like today, I'm making an effort to resist both sides." I frowned at the confessions he had just so freely made.

"Why bother trying?" I asked, hoping I wasn't pushing him too hard.

He gave me a look, a very sad look. As if he had lost all hope. "Alice would have wanted me to." He said quietly.

"Alice?" I repeated, my voice lowering to match his.

It was as if he tried to smile and failed miserably. "I loved her." He said it so softly I almost didn't hear him.

"I'm sorry." I said. I didn't know what else to say. In the back of my mind I wondered if he could be making all this up, or possibly imagining this Alice.

He closed his eyes, and an expression of pain and despair clouded his features. "Thanks." he muttered, his voice hoarse. I wondered if her loss, real or perceived, had caused this madness.

Disclaimer: Twilight does not belong to me.


	4. Chapter 4

I had the weekend off. Sam and I went to the playground, to the library, to a bookstore. We went to the mall, and to the park. Sunday afternoon we went out to eat, that eveing we found a church to visit, not having found one to our liking yet.

When Monday came, Jasper was back to his 'normal' self, screaming and cursing again. I was as if Friday had never happened. I tried speaking to him, thinking it might help, but he merely responded with a stream of profanity that held a large number of words I had never even heard before.

"A large number of those were arcan swear words." Janice, one of the few people I almost liked out of my coworkers, explained over lunch. "Any attempt at kindness only makes him worse."

"So, what, you torment him instead?" I asked angrily. I felt defensive of this strange, screaming person, or at least, the person he was when he wasn't screaming.

"I ignore him" She replied. "It's better for both of us."

"He was sane Friday." I said.

She wasn't surprised. "Sometimes he is. Less and less frequently as time goes by, but..." She shrugged. She didn't really care.

"He said he's been here for five years." I said.

"He talked to you?" She asked. It was my turn to shrug. "He has." She admitted.

"Why was he admitted?"I asked, hoping _someone_ might know.

"I don't know. None of my business. And none of yours, either. So do your job, keep your nose clean, and you'll keep your job."

I understood what she was saying. I could lose my job over a few questions. Jasper was a dangerous subject around here. I sighed. "They'd fire me over curiousity."

"They'd fire you for asking questions. Scott fired Sandra for asking about him"

"His name is Jasper." I informed her.

Janice choked. "Girl, if you wanna keep your job, you'll keep your mouth shut and forget about what's-his-name. Scott doesn't like people nosing around about it."

"Thanks for the warning." I said dully.

She scoffed. "You don't annoy me. I'd like to keep you around. Don't do anything stupid." She added, and her expression was deadly serious.

Tuesday and Wednesday he was the same. I tried not to think about him, about the things he had said, but it was hopeless. He was still ranting and raving, though, and I was done asking people questions, so I could find out nothing more about him.

Thursday was different. He was huddled in a corner of his cell, the corner farthest from the door. His eyes were tighltly closed, and his jaw was clenched. I let him be until I heard a whimper.

He was shaking, I realized as I turned to examine him. He sat with his head against the wall, soft whimpers and gasps escaping him. "Jasper?" I asked softly. He didn't respond. I wondered if I should do something, or if this were another 'normal,' for lack of a better word, mood swing? I turned to leave, but stopped when I heard him speak.

I could barely make out the words he uttered. "Till death do us part. We never thought-" He said nothing else; he merely sat there and cried silently, tearlessly. I wished there were something I could do to help this young man.

"I'm sorry, Jasper." Was all I could think of to say.

Friday came, and he was lucid again. I was silent, uncertain what to do after yesterday. I had seen his broken heart.

"Mornin'," He said at last, tentatively.

I forced a smile. "Good morning." I mumbled. I had meant to speak clearly and confidently.

He regarded me quizzically. "Is something, the matter?" He asked gently, as if _he _were worried about upsetting _me_.

I shook my head. "You seem to be feeling better." I said lightly, and the brief crack in his expressionless mask hurt me.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." He said, and his words were drawn out with an odd southern twang. He had understood what I had been referring to, then.

I didn't know what to say. He was apologizing for being miserable. "Is there anything I can do?" I asked. Stupid question, really, to ask someone in a restraining jacket, but I asked anyway.

He shook his head. "A friendly face is more than I could ask for anyway." I wondered what he meant by that.

"Do you play?" He asked suddenly, and I stopped to look at him.

"What?" I asked.

"An instrument." He clarified. "You play an instrument. Guitar?" He guessed.

"Violin." I corrected. He nodded. "What made you think I played an instrument?" I asked.

"Your fingers." He replied dismissively. "The strings leave their mark. Yours are less defined though, than they would be if you played the guitar. I see that now."

It was odd to be standing here discussin musical instruments with him. "Did you play?" I asked. How else would he have noticed, or known?

"Guitar." He replied. "Though Alice-" His voice broke, and he sighed. He swallowed and continued. "Alice was about the only person I played for. Well, and Esme. Though Carlisle joked that I should have been a rock star when he caught me at it."

"Carlisle?" I asked. Such and unusual name. Then again, so was Jasper.

"My father." He replied. "He was a doctor. At a hospital. Not like-" he hesitated, "here."

"Did he have you brought here?" I asked, trying to find out more about him while I could. The fierce look that spread over his features alarmed me. Abruptly, his expression smoothed back out into a mask.

"No. He's gone too. They all are." He sounded depressed.

I sought for some way to make him feel even a little better. "How do you know?" I asked.

"I saw them fall." He nearly snapped at me. "Besides, they woudn't have left me here."

"Maybe they couldn't find you." I suggested. I so wanted to give him _some_ hope. "Maybe _they_ think _you're_ dead.

He didn't think it even worth considering.

Disclaimer: Twilight, of course, does not belong to me.


	5. Chapter 5

The following day, Saturday, I nearly had a heart attack. He had been waiting for me.

"Do you have a family?" He asked, not even bothering with his usual greeting.

"I have a daughter." I replied politely, surprised to see him still sane. "She's four. Her name is Samantha."

"The father?" His eyes flickered to my finger, there was no wedding ring, and back to my face. He seemed concerned. For me? For my daughter he had never met?"

"I never knew his name." I said tersely. I'd never forget his face.

"I'm sorry." He seemed embarrassed.

"She's wonderful, though." I said, mainly to ease the tension in the room.

"She look like you?" He asked.

"Mostly." I replied. "She's very sweet."

"What does she do while you work?"

"Why all the questions? I hired a baby-sitter. The girl next door. She's very responsible, and deals with Sam very well."

He blinked. "Sam?"

I shrugged. "That's what I call her. I know it's a boy's name, but-" I shrugged again.

He nodded in understanding. "We called my neice Nessie. Her mother was furious. Something about being nicknamed after the Loch Ness monster."

I smiled. "What was her name?"

"Reneesme." He replied. "Reneesme Carlie Cullen. Renee was her mother, Esme was ours. Her father's name was Charlie."

"So Renee and Esme and Carlisle and Charlie." I reasoned out.

"Exactly." He said, and for a second, I thought he almost smiled. I went back to rifling through papers. I winced as one sheet of paper sliced into my finger. "Ouch." I said, startled.

Jasper hissed, and threw himself at the wall between us, his eyes wide. He snarled and started screaming profanities again. I marveled at the sudden change. What had caused him to act this way?

I stared in shock as several other doctors rushed in. Doctor Scott relaxed and dismissed the others when he realized I was fine. "What happened?" He demanded.

"I don't know." I said. I wasn't about to tell him we'd been talking.

"What did you do?" He isnsisted.

"Nothing. I was going through those papers." I said. "I gave myself a paper cut."

He was satisfied by that. "Ah. I see. I don't need to remind you that he is dangerous, and that you should be careful."

"Of course." I agreed.

I was off again on Sunday. We found a church we liked, though Sam sat in the adult service with me, listening as well as msot of the adults for her young age. Monday and Tuesday he was still screaming, and on Wednesday he was miserable again. Thursday I was greeted with more profantiy.

Friday he apologized as I walked through the door. He looked as if he were ashamed of himself. "I didn't mean to frighten you." He said. "Um, I don't do so well with blood." He shivered, and swallowed nervously.

Again, I didn't know what to say. Should I be apologizing? I was the one who had cut myself. I settled for shrugging noncommittally.

"How is Sam?" He asked, politely enough, but it seemed there was some sort of hunger in his eyes as he asked.

"She's fine." I answered warily. "She likes it here."

"You just move here?" He asked. He had caught that.

"I moved here for the job." I said.

"Do _you_ like it here?"

"Um, it's a nice place. Sam gets along with Trish pretty well. There's a lot of stuff we can do together when I'm off work. I was thinking about taking her to the zoo." Were we really having a casual conversaion like this?

"Nessie wanted to go to the zoo once." Jasper mentioned. "She didn't like it. It rained all day. Said she'd rather be playing baseball."

I laughed. "She liked baseball?"

"We all did."

"In the rain?" I asked.

"Best time to play." His response was so serious, I had to smile.

"What happened to your family?" I asked when I came the next day and he was surprisingly still sane.

He swallowed, his eyes closing for a second. Then he gathered himself, and met my gaze. "There was a fight. With another co- another family. It got nasty. I saw Al-Alice die, and Carlisle. I heard Esme scream, and saw Emmett go down. Bella was out from the start." His eyes were blank as he spoke, his voice was slow and steady, as if unaffected by what he was saying. "I think they're dead. Or-" He didn't finish whatever he had been going to say.

I wondered if that were why he was here. Hallucinations? Two families trying to kill each other? It didn't make sense.

But somehow I believed him. Or I wanted to. Was there much of a difference between the two?

"How did you get here?" I asked. "How did you survive?"

He shook his head. "I don't know." He said grimly. "I woke up, and the enemy family had taken me prisoner or something. I made a break for it. Then I woke up here." He was silent for a moment. "_He_ was there." Pure hatred was focused upon that word. _He._ I had no doubt of whom Jasper spoke.

Doctor Scott had found him, then, and had brought him here. But why?

Because this man needed help? I doubted it. Because of the mytery he presented? Maybe. But I was certain there had to be something more to it. Jasper was strange, certainly. There was something odd, something different about him. Something that left you slightly nervous in his presence for no good reason. Perhaps that was a part of why he was here. All I knew was there had to be some reason for Doctor Scott's actions.

If only I knew what.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.


	6. Chapter 6

He was waiting for me again the next day. And once again, he greeted me with a question.

"Do you like working here?" I wondered why he would ask something like that. I shot him a sharp glance, but he merely seemed curious.

I shrugged. "It's a job." I said.

"But do you _like_ it?" He pressed.

"I like what I do." I said evasively. "I feel like maybe I'm helping people. Making a difference."

He was perceptive. "But here?"

I frowned. Then I let out a sigh. "I feel like I'm useless."

"Why?" He asked. "You help people here." _Not you._ I didn't say it. I didn't want him to know how much his problems bothered me. "Oh." He said. Had he figured it out anyway? "You don't have to worry about me." He reassured me. It was almost funny, in a twisted, sick way. The man who spent a large portion of his time screaming and swearing in a violent rage was trying to convince me that I didn't have to worry about him. It made me angry.

"Why?" I demanded. "Because you're perfectly fine?" He flinched, and I regretted my harsh words.

"Because there's nothing you _could_ do." He said evenly. "Nothing anyone could do." He muttered softly.

"Alice?" I asked. It all came back to her. He felt his life were nothing without her.

"Yes." He agreed shortly. "But it isn't like your-" he hesitated for a second, "boss would ever let me out. And it's probably a good thing. I'd probably go postal and start a massacre in the streets." He said bitterly.

Perhaps it should have frightened me that he could speak so easily about killing. It only made me feel worse about my inability to help him. I _wanted _to help him in any way I could. I sighed.

At that second, my cellphone went off. Jasper jerked, startled, and I worried that perhaps I had set him off again. I pulled out my phone and showed it to him. He relaxed as I answered it.

"Hi, sorry to bother you." It was Trish. "The hospital staff wasn't sure exactly where you were." My heart started racing. What had happened? What was wrong? Was Sam okay?

"Is-" My voice broke off. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jasper flinch.

"She's fine." Trish said. "She's just really upset and I couldn't get her to calm down until I suggested we come and see you."

I relaxed. Sometimes Sam just got like this. Of course, this was what had cost me my last job. Nonetheless, my child came first. "I'm on my way." I said, and Jasper started.

"Don't leave." The whisper shot out, and he looked embarrassed, as if he hadn't meant to say it.

I sighed. Against my better judgement I gave Trish directions on how to get back here, and telling her to tell the receptionist that she was going to meet me and get things taken care of. I wondered, as I hung up, if I were being immensely stupid.

I probably was.

A tense silence settled over the room as we waited for Trish to get here.

She came, nervously dropped off Sam, and made a break for it. Apparently she wasn't comfortable with mental institutions. Sam ran to me, and I caught her in a hug.

"What is it?" I asked, knowing she wouldn't say anything. "Well, I'm glad for the surprise." I told her. "I couldn't wait to see you."

I remembered Jasper, and turned to see him watching us, and odd look on his face. He caught himself staring, and apologized. "Sorry." He said quickly. "I remember when Nessie was that small."

Sam turned to stare at Jasper, her eyes wide with curiousity. She stepped closer to him, an unusual reponse in her, and reached out a hand to him.

Jasper lunged, snarling, and she scrambled back into my arms. I picked her up and held her close, watching Jasper, trying to figure out what had caused his outburst this time.

He jerked away and retreated back into his cell, far from us. "Sorry." I heard him gasp. "Get her out of here."

I nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jasper." I said somewhat nervously, as I took Sam and we left the room.

We walked right into Doctor Scott. "What are you doing?" He demanded, eying my daughter.

"I'm sorry." I apologized. "She was upset, so Trish brought her here. If it's a problem, it won't happen again."

"You took her in _his_ room?" He insisted.

I nodded, still upset over what had happened inside. "He seemed fine until she got closer. He said-"

"He _said_?" Scott's voice was furious. "You _talked_ to him? And he talked back?" I nodded again, and he scowled. "Listen, Miss Thomas, I know you think you're trying to help, but you're only making things worse."

"But-"

"But nothing." I'm reassigning you. I want you to stay away from him, understood?"

"But-"

"Do I need to ask you to leave this job?" He asked, a warning in his voice and words.

I shook my head. "No. I understand." As much as I wanted to help him, I wasn't going to lose my job for Jasper. I had a daughter depending on me.


	7. Chapter 7

She didn't come back. Not that I really expected her to, not after that. I wasn't sure I even wanted her to.

I certainly didn't want to risk hurting her. I knew full well that if it were at all possible for me to get to her, I would kill her in less than a second. My self control- what little I had left- only lasted so long as there was no chance of me getting to anyone. I didn't want to risk her getting too close, I didn't want to be the monster I had fought so hard against all these years.

But I was weak, terribly so. According to the human I had been in here for five years. I hadn't fed in at least that long, I knew. That demon Scott seemed to know better than to allow that.

He knew a lot, it seemed. He had found me in the woods, when I had escaped after the fight. I remembered I had lost conciousness; a frightening thing in a vampire. I had never heard of such a thing happening before. But I had been so weak, and grief stricken. Alice-

I had seen her go down, taken down by another vampire. I had been scarcely able to believe it at the time, but there was no other explanation for why she would not have found me by now. She would have seen me.

I shoved that thought away as my sanity wavered; I would not dwell on this now. I would hold on, for Alice's sake. I would find a way out of here.

I shook my head. Who was I kidding? I was trapped here. If there had been a way to escape, I would have found it by now.

I wondered idly if Scott were planning on visiting again. He seemed to find me fascinating; he took note of everything.

He knew what I was. I didn't know how exactly he had put all the pieces together, but I suppose he wasn't a _complete_ idiot. It was possible that he could have done some research, put the pieces of the puzzle together, and figured it out. However it had happened, he knew.

I wished she would come back. It made it easier to think, to focus, to be able to talk to her. To pretend I was normal for a few brief moments, though it was laughable to consider a mental patient talking to one of the doctors on staff about the weather as normal.

I wondered if Scott had found out about us and put a stop to it. He didn't want people talking to me, he didn't want people asking questions. He was a cruel, evil man, I worried about what he might do to her to protect his secrets.

The door opened, and the devil himself walked in. I let out a snarl and lunged at him, forgetting in my fury that I couldn't get to him. He smiled sadistically and took a step forward.

"I understand our new doctor has been talking to you." He said pleasantly. I swore at him. "I have to confess I'm a bit miffed that you'll talk to her but not me. After all, we've known each other much longer."

I wasn't giving him anything. I screamed at him, and welcomed the insanity that had been creeping up on me since she had left. I wished I could just get my hands on him and end his miserable existence. It wasn't often I fantisized about sinking my teeth into someone's throat before I snapped their neck and ripped them limb from limb, at least, not anymore, but I wanted to hurt this human, make him suffer.

Even if it would have disappointed Carlisle.

He eyed me speculatively; the look in his eyes left me sober and afraid, very afraid. "I have a theory I want to test." He said conversationally. "Obviously you are weak enough that this room can hold you." He said thoughtfully. He stepped closer, and I instinctively lunged towards him.

Something hard and smooth brushed my skin, and I gasped as searing pain jolted through my body. I staggered back, and collapsed, but couldn't breathe properly. My body was shaking.

What _was _that?

He smiled again. I was beginning to hate that smirk. "This device is designed to send a shock through a person's body strong enough to temporarily paralyze them. Of course, we had to up the voltage for you, but as you can see, it's worked quite well."

I glared at him, but couldn't do much more than that as he opened the door between us and stepped into the cell. Hatred and fury gave me the strength to lunge at him again, but he was ready, and I jerked and screamed as again he sent electricity coursing through my body.

I fell, and watched heplessly as he called for assitance. I wondered desperately what this monster had planned now.

Disclaimer: Twilight is definitely not mine, and I never claimed it was.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been five years, and Alice wasn't any better.

I didn't really expect her to get over it. How could you expect her to get over such a loss? They had always been there for each other, through the decades. Then she had left, to protect him, and had lost him anyway. How did one cope with something like that?

She walked around as if she weren't really there. As if her mind had shut down, and I wondered if, on some level, it had. Edward had said all he could hear anymore was her loss. She never stopped thinking about him. Ever. And she never stopped blaming herself for his death.

I didn't know what to do, except be there for her. I made sure she hunted, at least she was doing that. I kept close to her, in case she should need something. I had held her in my arms several times over the past few years as she sobbed, crying tears that would never actually come, tears that never actually existed.

And when we met again, as a family, after four years apart, four years of hiding, she had nearly panicked when I tried to send her with Esme and Bella. She had grabbed onto my shirt and hung on for dear life, and had only settled down when I had promised I wouldn't leave her.

I had Rosalie with me now, and Nessie. That made four of us, though Jacob had only agreed to be separate from Nessie on the condition that he and Edward, who were to be hiding together, could come and check on her occasionally. He planned to come on her birthday, and we would probably end up trying to forget how dire things were now, even if it were only for a short time.

I had slowly recovered my strength, though I was still rather weak compared to the rest of my family. I was thankful that Sheba's gift had not been permanent. It was a small favor to know that I would not be as weak as a human forever, but a favor nonetheless. Edward had been greatly relieved; it was one less thing to worry about, and it had been cause for small celebration when we had all gotten back together, though there had still been an undercurrent of despair.

But Edward was right; we would not be able to hide forever. Sooner or later, something would have to be done. We could not hide from the Volturi for the rest of eternity. But as far as what to do, I had not a clue. I was lost in that matter. I had no desire for another fight, and we had suffered enough in the last one. As we were now, I was doubtful we could survive another altercation.

Rosalie took over Edward's unofficial position as watchdog, keeping a wary eye on Alice and myself. She was as worried as he had been, and though she could not read our minds, she did what she could. She looked out for Nessie as well, better than I did. She seemed to feel it was her job to hold us together.

So she set aside the Rosalie that she usually let show; the self-centered, short tempered, arrogant Rosalie Hale that was all most people saw, and let the softer side shine through. It was a side she usually kept hidden, choosing only to display on rare occasions when she felt someone she cared about honestly needed her help.

But for all that, none of us still had any idea what to do.

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Twilight does not belong to me.


	9. Chapter 9

I cursed myself for flinching as he flicked his lighter. He was only lighting a cigarette, but I hadn't been expecting it. My nerves were on edge anyway, and he had been standing right beside me.

He saw me flinch, of course, so now he knew. He lit his cigarette, and came closer. "Does this bother you?" He asked mockingly. I could feel the warmth as he moved the lighter closer to my arm.

I involuntarily jerked, trying again to get loose; it was a sign of just how weak I was that he could restrain me so easily.

The straight jacket was gone; so was my shirt. I was strapped down on some sort of bed; apparently he felt I was weak that enough he could move me. He was curious about me, and was now trying to satisfy that curiosity.

He had discovered I had no heartbeat, and had inadvertently found that I did not have to breathe to survive. The bright light overhead had revealed some of the worst of my scars; he found those fascinating, and examined them, asking questions as he traced several of them; I responded by swearing at him, putting into use words I had not used since I had left Maria's coven.

I hated that more than anything else, that he could study the scars with such disregard to what they implied. Each one had been torture, a reminder of death and destruction, of the murderer I had long ago decided I no longer wanted to be, of the monster I no longer was. I hated that he ran his fingers lightly over them as Alice had done in the past, as if he had every right to do with me whatever he so pleased.

It was a violation, one that I resented but had no power to stop. I wanted nothing more than to kill this man, to tear him apart, to make him suffer. He was cruel, and sadistic, more of a monster than even I was.

He had stopped, eventually, and took a moment to light his cigarette. I winced as the flame danced against my skin, and tried not to panic. He did not realize how dangerous fire actually was to our kind.

He laughed as I jerked, and let the flame flicker as he made a show of examining it. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a little fire." He taunted me. A whimper escaped from the back of my throat as he brought it closer.

I resisted the urge to struggle as he again brushed my arm with the flame. Struggling wouldn't do me any good anyway.

What did worry me was how easily he could cause some serious damage, and I wondered if it would be better or worse if he knew. I was almost certain he didn't want me dead, however, and perhaps if he knew how close he was to doing me serious harm, he would back off.

He moved, trying to intimidate me by holding the lighter mere inches from my face. I took advantage of it, and spat at the flames. The highly flammable venom that had building up in my throat caused the flame to flare up; he nearly dropped the lighter in surprise.

But he seemed to get the hint, at least. He put the lighter away, but turned his attention to the venom itself.

I snarled at him as he continued his questions; I didn't like where this was heading.

Disclaimer: Twilight belongeth to me neither in name, nor deed, nor in this reality, nor in any alternate reality.


	10. Chapter 10

It had been four months since I had been told to stay away from Jasper. I had done as I had been told, though he had never been far from my thoughts, or my dreams. I felt terrible for abandoning him, but my family came first. My daughter came first.

I occasionally passed by his room, but all I ever heard anymore was him screaming, and swearing. It was as if I had never been there, and I hated it.

He haunted my dreams at night. I could see him ranting and raving, screaming and cursing, throwing himself against the cell wall in a fury. At times I saw him huddled in a corner, shaking and sobbing. Mostly I remembered his sadness as he talked about his Alice and the rest of his family.

Sam was now four years old, and curious about everything. I often found her looking through our books, studying the pictures, regardless of whether the books were fiction or not.

She had convinced me to get her a kitten; that is, she had brought one home from one of the neighbor's whose cat had had a litter, and I hadn't had the heart to make her take it back.

She was excited; we were going to the zoo today. I had the day off, and she had been studying books about animals. I often came home to find books open to pictures of animals spread throughout the house. When I had asked yesterday if she wanted to go to the zoo, she had thrown herself into my arms, beaming.

We reached the zoo, and she was bouncing up and down as we waited in line for our turn to go inside. She accidentally bumped against the ladies in front of us, and the blonde one turned sharply on her, annoyance plain on her beautiful face.

Her expression softened as her gaze fell on my daughter. She smiled at her, almost sadly.

"Sorry." I said to her.

She turned to smile at me. "No harm done, right?" She asked the woman beside her, who turned to look at her briefly before turning back away. The woman looked sad, lost.

Sam raced around once we were inside. I could barely keep track of her. "Sam, stay close!" I called after her.

She stayed closer after that, but was still trying to be everywhere at once. She gazed at the lions, beamed at the monkeys, and stared at the snakes. She was having a great time.

I saw him, running backwards, not paying attention to where he was going, but didn't have time to shout. He tripped over Sam, and they both went down. By the time I had reached them, a girl was helping him up. They were both young and very attractive.

He looked devastated as he scrambled up. "I am so sorry, ma'am." He apologized quickly, running a hand through his shaggy hair. He was tall and well built, but his eyes were kind and worried. The girl stood beside him uncertainly, her deep brown eyes concerned.

I knelt down to check over Sam. She hadn't uttered a sound, but there were tears in her eyes. She had scraped her knees and the palms of her hands badly; there was a bit of blood.

"Come on, honey." I said. We'll go find a bathroom and clean you up." I turned to the couple, who still looked worried. "It's okay. These things happen, and she's so quiet, it's hard to always know she's there."

The girl was frowning at the boy, as if in thought. "Oh, hey." She said, her expression clearing. "Grandpa's here."

"Yeah." Agreed the boy. Apparently her statement made sense to him. "He's a doctor." He explained. "He can look her over, if you want."

I hesitated for a few seconds. "Um, sure." I decided it couldn't hurt. He would only be looking at her injuries. He probably wouldn't even notice her lack of speech. These two hadn't. I picked up my daughter and followed them through the zoo.

The man they led me to was in no way old enough to be their grandfather. He was pale, and very handsome, with short blonde hair and a brilliant smile. His eyes were an odd golden color.

They explained the situation, and he agreed to have a look at Sam. I set her down, and he moved to look at her hands.

She shrieked and recoiled back up against me. The 'Grandfather' frowned, and froze. "What's her name?" He asked calmly, as if she hadn't just freaked out on him.

"Samantha. Sam." I was starting to think this had been a bad idea.

He smiled at her reassuringly. "I'm a doctor, Sam." He said, looking her in the eye. He must have seen something there, because he continued softly. "All I want to do is look at your hands, Sam. May I, please?"

Hesitantly she held out her hands to him. He examined them, and muttered to the boy, "Go ask and see if you can find a first aid kid, Jacob." He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and spoke to Sam again. "I'm going to clean off your hands. It might hurt a little. Is that okay?" She nodded, her eyes glued to his. She blinked rapidly as he wiped off her hands, trying not to cry, but didn't make a sound.

"Thank you." Jacob had returned with the kit. The doctor gently finished cleaning her hands. "Would you like me to bandage them?" He asked, pulling out a roll of gauze. She nodded shyly, and he quickly bandaged her hands. "May I look at your knees?" He asked when he had finished. She nodded again. "I told Jacob he and Nessie need to be more careful. Just because _they're_ tough…" I didn't hear any more, because the name Nessie had made me think of Jasper back at the hospital.

I wondered yet again if his family could possibly be alive, somewhere, looking for him. It had been five years, though. That was a long time for anyone to be missing.

He had finished bandaging Sam's knees and was now digging through his pockets. "Let me see," he was saying, "if I have any- I thought I did- wait just a minute- here." With a flourish he pulled a lollipop out of his jacket pocket. He held it out to Sam.

She turned to look at me, and Jacob chucked nervously. "Hey, um, Carlisle? I don't think kids are supposed to take candy from strangers."

"Ah, yes." Carlisle looked at me too. Carlisle? Again I couldn't help but think of Jasper. This man was too young to have been Jasper's father. I shook my head to clear it. "It's fine, Sam. Go ahead." I said. "Thank you, Doctor-"

"Cullen." He supplied, and my heart just about stopped beating. I think my mouth was hanging open.

Carlisle and Jacob and Nessie watched me curiously. Carlisle and Nessie. Cullen? There was no way it was possible, but-

I turned to face Nessie.

Disclaimer: As you well know, Twilight is not mine. I just play around with it.


	11. Chapter 11

"What's your full name?" I demanded, my heart pounding. Nessie stared at me, her brow furrowed in confusion. Carlisle and Jacob stood frozen, staring at me as well, with bewildered expressions on their faces.

"What?" She asked.

"Your name." I repeated. "Is it Reneesme Carlie Cullen?" I asked, and all three of them stiffened, eyes wary.

"How do you know that?" Carlisle asked, his tone all too casual, all too calm. Fleetingly, I was struck with the thought that I should be very, very careful around him, but I shoved the thought away as nonsense. He was a doctor, what danger could he be? I focused my attention back on Nessie.

"So it is?" I asked. Nessie nodded, tentatively. That meant, as unbelievable as it was, that these people were part of Jasper's family. And they were alive. "What about Alice?" I insisted, and my heart broke at the silent exchange between the three of them. She _was_ dead, then, I guessed.

"How do you know about Alice?" Carlisle asked. His tone was still calm, but less friendly now. There was a note of warning in it that sent a shiver down my spine.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, and took the plunge. "Are you Jasper's father?" I asked Carlisle.

He stared at me in shock, his eyes wide. The other two simply stood there, mouths gaping. Finally, Carlisle blinked. "Did you just ask if I were-" He couldn't bring himself to actually say Jasper's name.

"Jasper's father." I finished. "Jasper Whitlock?"

Carlisle shook his head slowly. "What do you know about Jasper?" He asked quietly.

"He's alive." I told him, and was rewarded with a light that sparked in his eyes. "He's a patient at the mental hospital where I work. He thinks you're dead. All of you." I hesitated. "Is Alice-"

"She's alive." Carlisle replied slowly. He seemed to be having trouble accepting all this. "Jasper's alive?"

I nodded.

Nessie darted off abruptly, and Jacob followed.

"You said he's in a mental institution?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes." I nodded again. "I don't know why. There's practically no information on him, and the guy in charge is really weird about it. I nearly got fired simply for talking to him."

"Is he alright?" Carlisle asked. "What-"

I held up a hand to quiet him. "I don't know much. I know he attacked a girl that worked there when she got too close. I know he thinks Alice is dead. I know something's wrong with him. Some days he was perfectly calm, perfectly rational. Other days he was depressed and miserable and completely incapable of functioning. More often he was crazed, violent. He would scream and curse and threaten anyone within earshot. He was in a restraining jacket." I stopped there. Carlisle looked as if someone had torn him apart.

"He's what?" I jumped at the sound of the voice behind me and jerked around. It was one of the ladies Sam had bumped into in line, the one who hadn't spoken. She was petite, and had short cut brown hair. She was too pale, like Jasper and Carlisle, and had the same dark circles under her eyes.

"Who are you?" She demanded, her eyes flashing.

"Are you Alice?" I returned. She nodded. "Jasper thinks you're dead."

Her eyes widened. "Jasper." She whispered. "Where is he?" She demanded.

"Alice-" Carlisle began, but the look on her face silenced him. "Let me come, then." He said.

Alice nodded, then turned back to me. "Where is he?" She said again.

"I can take you there." I said.

"You can tell us where the place is." She corrected.

"She can get you in quietly." Another too pale boy spoke up. I hadn't noticed his arrival either.

"Fine." Alice snapped. "Carlisle can drive, though."

I followed these strangers to Carlisle's car, giving directions on how to get from here to there. I sighed as we passed my car.

"We'll get it to your house." The boy had followed us. He didn't even bother asking where I lived.

We got into Carlisle's car and set off, Sam clutched in my lap, watching with wide eyes.

"She doesn't speak." Carlisle said almost absently as he drove _way_ too fast. "Any particular reason?"

"We couldn't find one." I replied shortly. I didn't want to sit and listen to another doctor tell me something was wrong with my child.

"Forgive me, I did not mean to pry." Carlisle apologized sincerely. He hadn't meant to upset me.

I sighed. "The doctors say she can, but won't. They think something's wrong in her head. She doesn't like people, you saw that. She rarely responds to people in any form, even when she tolerates them."

"She seems rather intelligent, though." Carlisle commented.

"She is." I retorted.

"Maybe she just isn't ready yet." He said as we hit my hometown. It was the most encouraging thing I had ever heard from a doctor.

Sam smiled up at me and hugged me.

We reached the hospital in no time at all and practically flew out of the car and into the hospital. I carried Sam in my arms.

Janice simply looked at me as we entered. "I'm going off duty." She said. "Whatever this is, don't get me involved in it."

I rolled my eyes as Carlisle approached the desk. There was no way they were going to let him in to see Jasper; they weren't eager to lose their jobs. I cut him off before he could say anything, taking a chance and setting down Sam so I could grab Alice's arms.

"We have an emergency." I informed the woman, somewhat relieved Alice hadn't ripped my arms off, though why I was expecting something like that-

Carlisle looked confused, but didn't say anything as I continued. "There was an incident, I was lucky to be walking by, the girl just lost it. Doctor Cullen helped me get her calmed down, but-

I broke off, and the receptionist fell for it. "Go on through." She said, eyeing Alice, who was by now pretending to struggle, and putting on a pretty good show of looking crazed.

I led them down the hall, checking to make sure Sam was with us, and around the corner. I let her go, then, and led them to Jasper's room.

I unlocked the door and pulled it open, and we stepped inside.

Disclaimer: Twilight does not belong to me.


	12. Chapter 12

Jasper was screaming and cursing and swearing, his face contorted into a snarl, his eyes filled with rage. Fury and hatred seemed to be rolling off of him in waves. Through the profanity I thought I caught a name; his hatred was now directed towards cursing my boss.

Carlisle and Alice froze just inside the doorway, staring at the terrible scene before them. Both wore shocked expressions, both were silent, unable to think of anything to say.

"Jasper." Carlisle managed at last, horrified. The screaming stopped almost instantly.

Jasper blinked. "Carlisle?" He whispered. It was as if he couldn't believe it.

"I'm here, son." Carlisle stepped closer.

"Dad." It came out nearly a whimper. Carlisle choked back a sob; it hurt him so much to see his son like this.

Then Jasper caught sight of Alice. His eyes widened, and he gasped. "Alice?" His voice was barely audible, and almost hopeful for the first time since I had met him.

"Jazz." She stepped up to the bars and placed a finger on his cheek.

He closed his eyes. "Alice. My Alice. I thought you were dead." His voice shook as he spoke; I wondered that none of them were in tears.

"I thought _you _were. I heard you cry out and then I couldn't see you-" Her voice broke. "We searched anyway. We never found anything. No sign of fire other than our own, no body. I couldn't see you, Jazz. Couldn't feel you."

"Edward said one of them was capable of messing with our minds." Carlisle murmured thoughtfully, studying the room. He seemed to have recovered somewhat, from his initial shock.

"He must have been messing with my visions again." I watched them, confused. I had no idea what any of them were talking about.

Carlisle nodded. "_You_ were fighting the one called Sheba, Jasper." He said suddenly, it as if it meant something.

Jasper nodded. "I lost consciousness, I guess. Woke up here. _He_ knows, Carlisle." Alice and Carlisle both stiffened. "That's why he kept me here. He's been trying to find out more about our kind."

"If you're still weak enough that he could hold you here…" Carlisle's eyes widened in horror. What that meant, I had no idea. It was as if I had been completely forgotten. "Jasper." Whatever that meant, it was something terrible.

"It's been a nightmare. Most days I can't even think about anything else, like before-" He cut himself off, embarrassed.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, son." Carlisle said reassuringly. He leaned forward to rest a hand on Jasper's shoulder, briefly. "Let's get you out of here."

The doctor literally pulled the door separating them off its hinges. Without breaking a sweat. He had the restraining jacket off in less than a second. I gasped, amazed by what I had just witnessed.

Several things happened at once.

An alarm went off. I should have realized that, as paranoid as he was over Jasper, Scott would have had some sort of security system set up.

Jasper snarled and lunged at me with inhuman speed. I should have been dead, or severly injured. Like the woman before me.

Carlisle moved forward to defend me almost as quickly. They moved with a speed that was not natural, not human.

Several of my coworkers rushed in, and Jasper turned his focus from me to them. Alice growled, and Carlisle shouted. "Jasper, don't!"

His cry went unheeded. Jasper lunged into my coworkers, and sank his teeth into the throat of the nearest one. I watched in horror as he moved on to slaughter several more of them.

It was then that Doctor Scott showed up with security. "Let's go, Jasper! Alice!" Carlisle shouted, though I wondered if they were really in any danger.

I knew I was in trouble as the room exploded into chaos. I looked around to grab Sam and run. She was nowhere to be seen.

Carlisle grabbed me and dragged me from the room. I struggled and fought and screamed, but I might as well have been still for all the effect it had on the doctor.

"Sam!" I shrieked. I needed to find my daughter!

Carlisle dragged me through the building as if I weighed nothing. We had nearly reached the front entrance when Carlisle stiffened. "Stay here." He ordered, pushing me into a chair. He darted off. "Alice." I heard him mutter as he went.

I was up as soon as he turned the corner, determined to find my child.

I raced through the halls, searching desperately for some sign of her. I ended up turning the corner and running into Doctor Scott instead.

He was furious. "You brought them here." He accused, his expression murderous. I took a step back. He frightened me.

"I did." I admitted nervously.

"Did you think you were doing a good deed? Did you think they would be grateful?" His voice was cold, mocking. His next words made my blood run cold. "Where is your daughter?" He asked, a twisted smile on his lips.

"What?" I was practically hysterical now. "Do you know where she is?"

"I know if she's with your new 'friends' she won't last long, Miss Thomas. They're dangerous." He was advancing slowly, an evil glint in his eye. "They're vampires, you know."

I shook my head. "_That_ is ridiculous." I said defiantly.

He smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "He just killed six men and drank their blood, Miss Thomas." I stared at him. That much was true. I had seen it with my own eyes. And the rest-

Jasper had told Carlisle that Scott knew about them. That he was trying to study their kind. Was it possible? How fast they moved, how pale, how Carlisle had simply pulled the door off its hinges. Could it be? I tried to tell myself he was lying, that he was insane.

Scott was still talking. "I'm sorry you were involved. And I'm sorry the monster has your daughter." This much was true. I could see it in his eyes.

"No!" I shrieked, and Scott reached forward to restrain me.

I should have been afraid of him. I realized suddenly that he couldn't leave witnesses in this. He couldn't afford to. He meant to kill me.

All I could think about was Sam. If Jasper _were_ a monster, if he _did_ have her-

A crack startled me, and the doctor fell forward. I numbly stepped out of the way. Alice stood before me, fierce, furious, eyes blazing.

She knelt down as Carlisle reappeared, and spoke to the dead man. "Death was to merciful for you." Carlisle laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's get out of here." He said softly. "Quickly."

"Jasper's already out." Alice said, leading the way. "He left as soon as we separated. He didn't want to kill anyone else."

I followed these- what were they? People? Monsters? Vampires?- intent only on finding my child. I hoped she was okay. If she were with Jasper, however…

He was outside, under a tree, waiting for us. He held a small, limp body close in his arms. I shrieked.

"Jasper?" Alice asked, rushing to him faster than I would have thought possible.

"What did you do?" I screamed at him. "What did you do to her?"

Disclaimer: Twilight does not belong to me, yada yada yada, blah, blah, blah.


	13. Chapter 13

Alice growled at me, but Jasper went straight to Carlisle, shoving my daughter into his arms before retreating to stand behind Alice.

"Looks like she hit her head." Carlisle remarked calmly, as if I hadn't just nearly accused his son of murder. As if my daughter hadn't just been in the arms of someone capable of drinking human blood. Jasper nodded, but said nothing as Carlisle began examining her. "She should be fine." He said. "Nothing too serious."

I was in shock. I stared at Jasper. "You didn't-but those people-you-I thought-" I wasn't able to form a coherent sentence. I was beyond hysterical. Scott's accusation came back to me. "You're a vampire!" I finally blurted.

All three of them jerked, whipping around to stare at me, eyes wary. Alice went into a defensive stance that definitely did not appear human. Jasper was staring at me, and I realized with horror that his dark eyes had taken on a reddish tint.

Carlisle alone remained calm. "Yes." He said simply. "Get in the car." He walked calmly towards his car, still carrying my daughter. "We don't want to be here when the police show up."

I followed, reluctantly, and got into the car with the vampires. Jasper slipped into the front seat, Alice slid in behind the wheel. Carlisle joined me in the back, and slid my daughter gently into my arms. Then he began to tell me about his family, with help now and again from Alice.

I learned that they were indeed vampires. Vampires who didn't drink the blood of humans, choosing to live instead on animal blood. I learned that five years ago they had been in a fight with a group of ruling vampires, those in charge of making sure all the other vampires in the world behaved. After the fight, Carlisle and the others had thought Jasper had been killed during the battle.

Jasper still hadn't said a word in all this time. He simply sat with his hands holding one of Alice's, staring at it.

"Thank you." Carlisle said at last. "You don't know how much this means to us." Alice nodded from behind the wheel.

"You're welcome." I managed, holding my daughter closely. I was starting to calm down now, and beginning to wonder what would happen to me now.

"I'm sorry you ended up involved, though." He apologized, and I thought Jasper winced from up in front. Would they kill me now? Were they allowed to have witnesses? I wondered if I should throw myself out of the car. Of course, as fast as they seemed to be, it probably wouldn't do me any good.

Alice murmured something in Jasper's ear, ignoring the road before her. I kept waiting for her to kill us all. "Don't feel bad, Carlisle." She spoke up cheerfully. "It's for the best." Carlisle looked puzzled but didn't press the matter.

Sam was waking up by this time. She looked around quickly, confused. She took in the car, our three companions, and started to panic. She had no idea where she was.

Jasper jerked around and the other two of his family tensed, ready for action, but he merely turned to lay a hand on her shoulder. She stopped to stare at him, and relaxed, scooting to sit between the doctor and me.

Jasper took Alice's hand again, and the ride continued in silence. I had no idea where we were going, but was afraid to ask. We drove on for some time.

Sam had fallen asleep, her head drooping till at last, as we were beginning to slow, it lay in Carlisle's lap. I was surprised; she seemed oddly comfortable with him by now.

Jasper had shifted, his head was actually resting against Alice's shoulder. He had slouched pretty far down in his seat to manage that.

The car stopped, and Sam woke up. The vampires got out, and I was trying to decide whether to follow or stay where I was when Sam slipped out of the car after Carlisle.

"Sam." I followed her, afraid of letting her loose around a bunch of vampires, even if they were 'vegetarians.'

Carlisle turned to watch her as she darted out, looking around. He stiffened as she caught sight of Jasper and launched herself at him.

I watched in shock and horror as she wrapped herself around his legs, catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground with a groan. He froze, staring at her, every muscle tensed,

"Now, now." Alice scolded my daughter. "You're scaring him. Give him some time." She gently pulled my child off Jasper, and I was surprised when Sam didn't mind.

I jumped as a voice behind me boomed out. "Taken down by a little girl, bro? That's pathetic." I whirled around to see another of them, huge and rather frightening, followed by a beautiful woman and the pale boy from the zoo.

"Shut up, Emmett." The other boy said somewhat tensely.

"Don't tell Emmett to shut up, Edward." The woman retorted with a toss of her gorgeous blonde hair. I recognized her from the line at the zoo; she had been with Alice.

"Shut up, Rosalie." Edward retorted. Rosalie sniffed and moved forward to help Jasper up.

She wrapped him in a hug. "I was tired of being the only Hale again, you know." She said almost accusingly.

Emmett moved forward as she let Jasper go and slapped him on the back. I was surprised it didn't knock him over. Jasper growled at him.

Edward rolled his eyes. "He missed you. We all did." He turned to Carlisle. "Esme's inside. Everyone wanted to be here." Carlisle nodded.

"Uncle Jazzy! Uncle Jazzy!" Nessie, the girl from earlier, came running up. She wrapped him in an enthusiastic hug. I thought I heard him groan again.

"Don't hurt him, Nessie." Edward chided.

"I'm not." She said, looking up at Jasper. "I'm so glad you're home." She declared, laying a hand on his cheek. He jerked back from her touch, and her face fell.

She studied him curiously. "Your eyes are _so_ dark." She noted. "Except for the ring of red. Poor Uncle Jazzy." She lamented. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged, and I wondered when he had taken a vow of silence. I also wondered how many people, that is, vampires, were in his family.

"Jacob said he and the others can wait until you're settled in to welcome you." Nessie said. "He thinks it might be too much."

"Because there's no way this is." A new voice said, slightly amused. Another woman drifted over, reaching hesitantly to touch Jasper's arm. "Sorry dear. I meant to wait, but-" She stopped as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. She ran a hand through his hair, just as I had done countless times to Sam.

"It's okay, Esme." Carlisle said. "He's home now."

Esme turned to face me. "Thank you." She said. I wondered how she I had helped.

"Nessie told everyone." Edward said, as if I had actually spoken, and he had merely answered.

I stood there awkwardly as they continued to gather around Jasper, feeling largely out of place. Sam was starting to get bored, and hungry.

Carlisle reappeared beside us. I hadn't seen him move. He smiled at me. "They'll be a while." He commented easily. "Sam's probably getting hungry. Can we get her anything? Or you?"

I was struck with this vision of a refrigerator full of blood, all neatly bottle and stored. I shuddered.

He noticed, of course. "We do have regular food." He assured me. "Come."

Sam followed him without hesitation, having picked up the word food, and I had no choice but to follow. They were nice vampires, certainly, but they were still vampires, and I wasn't letting my daughter out of my sight.

Three more of the family were in the living room, two boys and one girl. They all appeared human.

Jacob looked up. "What's up, Dr. Fang?" I was startled that he joked about the whole vampire thing so easily.

Carlisle smiled. "I thought it might be polite to feed our guests."

"And you're going to do that?" The other boy demanded. He rolled his eyes. "Never let a vampire pick out food for a human. Especially when he's a doctor. It's all healthy stuff. Allow me."

He stood and joined us, a bit more quickly than was normal for humans. The female rolled her eyes and muttered something to Jacob before darting out the door.

I followed, Sam in tow, as he led us to the kitchen, where he began rifling through the fridge. I watched him, wondering how old he was. He acted younger than some of the others, but looked older than some of them. It was rather confusing.

He was darker skinned, like Jacob. He also had the dark eyes and hair like Jacob. He also seemed well built.

He caught me staring. "What?" He asked as he stopped whatever he was doing. "Are you-" He didn't finish his sentence, and we stood there staring at each other.

Sam broke the spell by tugging insistently on my shirt. I started.

"What?" I asked. The boy shook his head. Although he wasn't actually much of a boy, despite his childish air.

"Um, food. Right." He said. "So, you hanging for a while?"

"She has to." Alice waltzed into the kitchen, Jasper following, hands entwined. "You two are going to get married."

"What?" I demanded.

The boy didn't say anything. I stared at him in disbelief, but he didn't seem worried. I rolled my eyes. Like I was going to join a family of vampires and who knew what else. Yeah, right.

Sam stomped her foot impatiently, and Alice reached into the fridge and handed her an apple. "You'll starve to death if you're waiting for them to quit staring at each other." She told my daughter as she and Jasper continued passing through. "Tell Carlisle we went hunting." She called over her shoulder. They left through the large window in the dining room.

The boy grinned at me. "I'm Seth, by the way. Seth Clearwater."

"Kristin. Thomas." I replied hesitantly.

Author's note: As far as I know, or remember, or have been able to find, Seth didn't actually imprint with anyone. However, if I am mistaken, please let me know, and I will be delighted to fix it. Also, for those of you who were wondering, the female hanging out with Jacob and Seth in the living room, of course, was Leah Clearwater.

Disclaimer: Twilight does not belong to me.


	14. Chapter 14

After a day or two I started to get used to being surrounded by vampires and shape shifters. I had also successfully divided those present into two groups; those that were a permanent part of the family, and those who were only loosely connected, and were currently visiting.

Seth Clearwater and his sister Leah were visiting. They were related to Jacob Black through this shape shifting business. Jacob and Nessie were together, and permanent members of the family. Edward and Bella were Nessie's parents; Bella had actually given birth to the half-vampire. Carlisle was Edward's father in that he had turned him, as he had turned Esme, and Rosalie, and Emmett.

Carlisle and Esme were, so to speak, Edward's parents, and Nessie's grandparents. And Emmett and Rosalie and Jasper and Alice were all considered Carlisle and Esme's children as well, in a complicated sort of way, especially when you considered that Rosalie and Emmett were married, as were Alice and Jasper.

And then there was the whole _imprinting_ thing. Jacob, it seemed, had imprinted on Nessie. Something about them being soul mates or something.

And apparently, Seth had imprinted on me, and, according to Alice, we were going to end up getting married. Lovely. I was destined, according to a vampire, a psychic vampire, to marry a shape shifter. Which brought me to another thing about these guys.

Alice could see the future. Edward could read minds. Jasper could feel and control other people's emotions. Bella was some kind of shield or something, and Nessie could somehow touch you and make you see things. And, of course, Jacob and Leah and Seth could all turn into wolves.

But that's beside the point. According to Alice I'm not only going to be sticking around, but I'm also going to be marrying someone who can turn into a wolf.

At least he wasn't being obnoxious about it. He tried not to follow me around too much, but was constantly nearby, as if to reassure me that the vampires weren't going to get me.

Sam seemed to be having the time of her life, though I noticed the family was doing all they could to keep her clear of Jasper. It was odd how easily she fit in, and how comfortable she was in the presence of all these vampires.

Seth laughed when I pointed that out. "They aren't so bad, once you get used to them. Smell funny, though." He said, making a face.

Jasper stayed clear of me, and of Sam. I hadn't actually seen him since he and Alice had gone hunting. I wondered if I had done something to upset him; I couldn't figure out why he would just ignore me like this.

Edward sighed and stopped to explain. I had forgotten, yet again, about his talent for reading minds. "He's not upset. He just doesn't want to risk it."

"Risk what?" I asked.

"Risk losing control around you or Sam. We still aren't sure how he's handling it after all this time."

"Oh." I said. "I see."

That had been the morning after we spent the night there. Do you know how hard it is to get to sleep when you're trying to sleep in a house full of vampires? The fact that _they_ don't sleep aside, you don't really feel like it's the best idea to close your eyes and drift off, even if you _are_ sleeping in a bed because Alice was off with Jasper 'hunting' and wouldn't need it. And them trying to be quiet so as not to disturb us wasn't any help either. The only thing worse than trying to sleep in a house full of vampires is trying to sleep in a house full of vampires when you have no idea where any of them are.

I eventually drifted off to sleep, though, and slept pretty soundly.

The sun was shining brightly when I woke up, and I nearly panicked all over again. Sam was gone. She had gone straight to sleep last night; she seemed to feel perfectly safe around the Cullens. But now she was nowhere to be seen.

I was up and out of the room in seconds. Where was my daughter?

"Sam?" I called. "Sam?" I heard a shriek from outside, and my heart about stopped beating. I ran through the house and out the front door. I looked around the yard for the source of the scream.

Emmett, the huge vampire, was chasing my child around the yard. I stood frozen as he moved, almost more quickly than I could follow, to block her as she tried to run. Then he pounced on her, and swept her up off her feet. She shrieked as he tossed her over his shoulder.

I started as I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Seth.

"Don't worry, Emmett's just playing around." He reassured me. I stared at him. A vampire? Playing? With my _human_ daughter? He chuckled, and turned to watch them. "Hey, Emmett! You're scaring the human!"

Emmett didn't bother to look up from what he was doing. "I am not! She's perfectly fine. Having the time of her life!"

"Not that one!" Seth shouted back. "The other one! You know, the Mom!"

He looked over then, and set Sam down. She ran to join me, grinning from ear to ear, and he followed behind a bit more slowly. "Sorry." He said, looking sheepish. "Didn't mean to frighten you. Just, she was bored, and wanted to play..." He trailed off, and shrugged.

I wasn't sure what to say. He honestly hadn't meant any harm. "It's okay, I was just..."

Emmett laughed. "Worried when you woke up in a house full of vampires and your daughter was nowhere to be found."

I managed a nervous chuckle. "Yeah."

"No worries." He said easily. "I'm gonna go find Jasper."

"Jasper?" I asked Seth.

Seth shrugged. "Jasper wanted to know when you were up, I think."

"Why?" I asked. Seth just shrugged again.

"You know, you don't really have to worry about her here. Much." He said. "I mean, yeah, they're vampires. Yeah, they drink blood. But these guys have been doing this whole vegetarian thing longer than you've been alive. Longer than _I've_ been alive, even. Like Carlisle, he's been doing this for around four hundred years. I don't think he even notices the smell of blood anymore. Even Nessie and Bella are really good at controlling themselves. The only real worry is how Jasper's gonna handle everything now."

"Oh." I said. I was reassured, a little.

"Anyway, I think Jasper wanted to talk to you, so if you want I can watch Sam while you guys chat." He offered.

"Sure." I said. I didn't really want her out of my sight, but then, I didn't really want her near Jasper.

Seth took off with Sam just as Emmett reappeared, Jasper a few steps behind him. Emmett settled against the porch railing, arms crossed against his chest, waiting. Jasper stood before me nervously.

Why was Emmett here? Emmett caught my confused glance in his direction and grinned. "I'm here because I'm the one Jasper's least likely to hate himself for biting." He explained, which only left me more confused.

Jasper growled at him. "That's not funny."

Emmett shrugged. "Fine. I'm here because Jasper wants to talk to you, but is worried about being able to control himself. So I can step in if anything happens. _I'm_ doing this instead of anyone else because if he ends up biting _me_ he won't feel as bad as he would if he ended up biting Carlisle or Edward or Alice." He frowned at his brother. "So why _is_ it okay to bite me and not anyone else?" He demanded.

Jasper shrugged. "Because _you're _the one that annoys me the most." He retorted. "Now shut up." Emmett shrugged, and winked at me. They were just picking at each other, like siblings do.

Jasper turned his attention back to me. "I wanted to thank you." He said.

I looked down. I could feel myself blushing. Jasper shifted uneasily, and Emmett tensed, ready to intervene. I swallowed nervously. "Sorry." I said.

Jasper chuckled tersely. "It happens. But really, thank you. I would still be trapped in that hell-hole if it weren't for you. I have my family back, I have Alice back. I don't think I can properly explain how grateful I truly am."

I shrugged, embarrassed. "I was just glad to be able to help." I said.

Jasper nodded. Then he smiled. With a bow, he said, "I am forever in your debt, Miss Thomas." Then he darted off, across the yard, to join Alice, who stood talking to Edward and Carlisle.

Emmett grinned at me as I continued blushing. "We all are, really." He said. "In your debt." Then he rocketed off the porch and across the yard as well, where he tackled Edward.

It was weird, having everyone in the house walk around acting like I was a hero or had saved the world or something. They were constantly thanking me, or smiling at me. It was unsettling.

Sam seemed to like it here. And the vampires, oddly enough, seemed to dote on her. They watched out for her, played with her, and tried to spoil her. It was weird. Almost as weird as the fact that my daughter, who had never been very fond of people, seemed to have grown attached to a family of vampires.

What worried me, though, was that she wouldn't stay away from Jasper. He would usually try to move away from her, but she was pretty determined. Fortunately, she was usually intercepted by one of the others, who would distract her from her target, much to Jasper's relief.

Alice finally scooped her up, and set her on her lap. "Now." She said firmly. "We need to talk, Sam." My daughter looked up at her seriously, and Alice smiled reassuringly. "You aren't in any sort of trouble, darling. It's just this." She was silent for a moment, deciding how to say what she needed to say. "You know Jasper was in a hospital, right?" Sam nodded. "And he was there for five years. That's longer than you've been alive. Right?" Sam nodded again, waiting patiently. "Well, you know that Jasper's like us, don't you Sam? That he's not like you and your mom?" Another nod. "Well, it's kind of hard for him right now. He's worried he might accidently hurt you." Alice looked at Sam solemnly. "Now, I know that one day you two are going to be great friends, but right now you need to give him some time. Okay?"

Sam nodded on last time, and I nearly had a heart attack as she smiled and said, "Okay, Alice."

Alice wasn't surprised. "That's a good girl." Alice said brightly, and let my daughter slide out of her lap. "Now go play, and give Emmett a break. Rosalie's getting jealous."

Sam looked up at the vampire. "Can I go play with Carlisle?" She piped. Her voice was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.

Alice nodded. "Yes, you _may_." She said brightly.

I stared as my daughter skipped cheerfully out of the room. Had my daughter just spoken? Had she really spoken? "Alice?" I asked.

Alice smiled and came to stand in front of me. "Yes." She said. "She's really speaking."

I nearly burst into tears. "How? They said-" Alice shook her head as my voice broke.

"They were wrong." She said briskly. "I talked to Edward, and he said there's nothing wrong with her. She just wasn't ready to start talking yet." Alice regarded me seriously. "Everything happens in its own time, you know." I nodded.

If nothing else, our stay with the vampires had done this, and I was grateful. My daughter was happy, and confident, and _talking._

Eventually things settled down, and thoughts turned to something more serious.

The Volturi.

Seth had explained who the Volturi were, and Jacob had added that they had recently gone after the Cullen Clan, and there had been a fight, and that the Cullens were, in essence, in hiding, or had been until now.

They needed to figure out what to do next.

Author's note: And here is where we end another story. Hope you enjoyed it, and thank you so much for all the reviews. They make me feel so appreciated.

Disclaimer: Twilight does not belong to me.


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